Product: Solidsteel WS-5 wall shelf
19.5" x19.5" x 16.25", 28 lbs, 130 lb capacity
Available from:
http://www.musicdirect.com/p-72223-solidsteel-ws-5-wall-shelf.aspxPrice: $399
My system:
Trans-Fi Salvation TT with T3Pro Terminator air bearing tonearm
Soundsmith Hyperion 2 cartridge
Zesto Andros PS-1 phono stage
Zesto Leto line stage
Bryston BDA-1 with Audiophilleo AP1/VLN battery
Alix Voyage USB music server
Acoustic Imagery Atsah mono blocks
Behringer DCX2496, 2 Crown K2 amps, 5 subs
Geddes Abbey 12's with custom external crossovers
Cabling - DH Labs, Kaplan Cables, Triode Wire Labs
Honestly, I disdain reviewing, but once in a while a product comes along that does its job so well, you just have to tell someone about it, specifically the SolidSteel WS-5 wall mount. Yes, a shelf.
In an effort to achieve some stability and noise rejection for my turntable I went through many iterations to finally get it right. My environment is a dedicated basement listening room, 24x13x8, with poured walls on the front left side walls, built out with 2x4 studs, insulation, and drywall. The floor is concrete, with a floating layer of Dri-Core 2x2 OSB/plastic channel interlocking panels, followed by a finish floor of nailed down 5/8" solid bamboo. I have a bunch of room treatments that do their job very well.
When I first placed the non-suspended Trans-Fi turntable on my spiked 3 shelf HHG wood stand with granite shelves and a 15x20x3 maple block on top of square cork/rubber pads, there were immediate issues. Footfalls easily bounced it directly as the Dri-Core is not bonded to the concrete, which itself is slightly uneven in places. There was also considerable airborne feedback, easily induced by turning the volume up slowly with a stylus resting stationary on a record.
I decided a wall mount would be the only reasonable way to solve this problem and placed a low mass IKEA Expedit 2x2 on the wall, with the 15x20x3 maple block on the cork/rubber pads again. I liked the convenience of it with 4 drawers and room for vinyl accessories, but as I learned later, I wasn't getting the best performance. It eliminated the foot fall problem and significantly reduced the airborne feedback, but tapping on the surfaces still produced bad vibes. I could also induce feedback with the stylus test, though reduced a lot from the rack setup. I replaced the cork/rubber squares with Moongel drum pads, and while they worked well initially, they compressed too much from the mass and became ineffective. I switched back to the Herbie's 1" fat Grungebuster Dots, which helped somewhat. After trying a few other suggested combo's (squash balls, gel pads, etc), I concluded the IKEA shelf was the limiter.
I had a Target wall shelf long ago, but I wasn't impressed with its construction. After seeing the new Solidsteel WS-5 in the Music Direct catalog I called up Chris to learn more about it. It was a lot of money but he assured me it would work well. It arrived the next day from Chicago, great service!
Be prepared for how stout it is. 1x2" heavy steel frame, 1" cross supports, 3/8" thick 6" high steel mounting plate, 28+ lb. worth, and a 3/4" MDF shelf with 1" pockets for the aluminum adjusting points.
The 4 aluminum sockets are threaded into the frame and easily adjusted from below with an allen wrench.
The back plate has a 1/2" vertical mounting slot on the left and a vertical slot on the right allowing alignment on the wall. Once those are bolted in, it's a simple matter to level it in the lateral plane by adjusting those two bolts.
Next, drop the cones in, followed by the MDF shelf, and adjust for level with the allen wrench from below. Mike Galusha suggested the Starrett 8" machinist level awhile back and it makes the leveling steps child's play. This is the second cut at level.
Adding the maple block, followed by a heavy turntable will deflect it ever so slightly to the front edge, so level again, and then again. The Starrett doesn't lie, otherwise you might miss the change. With an air bearing tonearm with almost no friction other than wiring, it is absolutely a must. Same for uni-pivots if you want the best performance.
This turned out to be an optimum combination. I could tap on any of the surfaces (maple block, slate plinth, MDF, steel frame), with virtually no feedback at all, a huge difference from where I started. The feedback test with the stationary stylus was dead quiet - finally, success! The listening test told the same story, deep and totally clean bass, no ill habits whatsoever. This also served to clean up the lower midrange as well. The composite is just an effortless and very dynamic sound, much more so than before.
I was even able to re-use the Expedit for storage and a convenient shelf for the Nitty Gritty and supplies.
Overall, I"m thrilled with the result, both functionally and sonically. The fit and finish are superb as well. While $400 seems like a chunk of change, I feel it pegs the value scale. An 11 on a scale of 10 for me.
Great job, Solidsteel (and Herbie's). Highly recommended!
